Will Ferrell bought a beer in Edmonds, but not a bar

You probably heard the one about Will Ferrell walking into an Edmonds bar — and buying it.

But the rumor that the man who played “The Anchorman” is the new owner of Jack Murphy’s Bar apparently is just that.

Jack Murphy’s is still owned by Brian Taylor, according to the city of Edmonds.

Taylor couldn’t be reached Monday, but a friend and fellow bar owner in Edmonds said the actor didn’t buy Jack Murphy’s, 109 Fourth Ave. N., despite a post to that effect on the business’ Facebook page.

“He’s not buying the bar,” said Bryan Benn, owner of A Very Taki Tiki Bar &Grill in Edmonds. “It was just a lot of hype.”

It is true that Ferrell spent the weekend in Washington, took in some football and whooped it up in Edmonds.

“He met (actress and Edmonds native) Anna Faris for dinner at Epulo Bistro, and I think all the high schools kids in town found out,” Benn said.

“He came out of the Epulo Bistro and got rushed. His handler steered him away, but I think all the 50 or 60 teenagers followed him from Epulo Bistro to Jack Murphy’s. He snuck out the back door.”

Benn snagged a photo of the unshaven actor posing with a fan for his Taki Tiki Bar &Grill Facebook page. “It had 10,000 hits in two hours,” he said.

But it wasn’t quite the stir that a post on Jack Murphy’s Facebook page created about Ferrell buying the bar.

Jack Murphy’s Facebook page was down on Monday.

The scuttlebutt created a buzz among residents, city workers and social media circuits on Monday.

“No one has been able to confirm it in the city,” Community Services and Economic Development director Stephen Clifton said. “If he did buy it, that’s fantastic. If that’s the case. There have been a lot of calls to the city.”

Edmonds City Clerk Sandy Chase didn’t hear the rumor until she was called about it: “Will Ferrell as in THE Will Ferrell?”

She said new purchases require a new business license. “Nothing has come across our desk yet,” she said.

State records show that in late September three people applied for a liquor license for a business called “The Churchkey Pub” at Jack Murphy’s address. The applicants are a couple from Everett, and a man from Anacortes.

Whatever the facts about the bar may be, there were numerous sightings of the actor of Buddy The Elf tweeted over the weekend.

Ferrell was on the sidelines at the Oregon-Husky game on Saturday with a friend from Kingston. On Sunday, he hung out with rapper Macklemore at the Seahawks game.

Benn said Ferrell’s bar hop didn’t keep the good people of Edmonds up any later than “Saturday Night Live.”

“He hopped on the ferry and went to Kingston,” Benn said. “It was fun to have him in town.”

If you missed Ferrell, you can see him on the big screen.

“Anchorman 2” is due out in December.

Andrea Brown; 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com.

Good Will hunting?

If you got a picture of Will Ferrell in Edmonds over the weekend, send it to jdavis@heraldnet.com.